Murders, Detectives, and Romance- Oh My!
by Checkered Brooke
Summary: World renowned detective Death the Kidd is somewhat less than eager to take on another murder His interest is peaked as he notices two things—his client is a beautifully symmetrical girl, and the killer wants to "play." AU, KiMa
1. Introduction

**Yo. Um, do you guys like detective/mystery stories?**

**And KiMa? **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater, its characters, or any other products/brands/works mentioned in this fan-fiction. **

* * *

**Chapter One: Introduction**

* * *

_"I won't say it was nice knowin' you, 'cause it wasn't."_

_The figure approached the teen, brandishing a rusty sword as he backed his target into a corner. _

_"I- I don't know how t-to—"_

_"You don't know how to deal with it? Is that what you were going to say? Pathetic. Scum. Useless. That's what you are." _

_In one fell swoop, the villain slashed his weapon across his prey's neck. There was gurgling for only a few seconds before the victim collapsed, and soon after, died. _

* * *

"I—I just can't believe it!" Maka sobbed, latching onto her boyfriend's jacket as she mourned the loss of her best friend. "Chrona was so—so young, and so nice—how could anyone do this?! Chrona d-deserved this least of all!"

"I know, Maka, I know." Rough hands massaged her back in an attempt to comfort her as they stood in front of the apartment complex where their delicately shy friend was murdered.

* * *

"_Another _murder?"

He sighed, leaning back in his recliner as he shooed his agents out the door.

The eldest one cautiously peered back into the room, before adding "They're requesting you specifically and will leave the scene untouched until you arrive."

Death the Kidd raised an eyebrow, before sighing and issuing instructions.

"Liz, Patti, pack your bags. We're going to Death City."

* * *

He arrived two hours after he'd been called for (he made a mental note to try and be quicker next time), and although the local law enforcement was skeptical, he was quickly admitted into the building.

The room smelled like death, but Kidd had grown accustomed to that over his years of work. Most of the mysteries these days were killings, after all. He cast a low gaze over the occupants of the room when he finally arrived; _boring, generic, cop, cop, stressed, stupid—symmetrical?_

His left eyebrow rose significantly as he noticed the puffy-eyed woman, and he stuffed his hands in his pockets before clearing his throat.

Most of the people looked up—the important ones, anyhow—and one of the policemen scowled.

"Listen here, kid, this isn't the time or the place for you to be wandering around. I'm not even going to _ask _how you got in here. Hurry up and get out, before you contaminate evidence."

Kidd rolled his eyes and pulled one of his wallets out (he kept one in each pocket to preserve symmetry), unfolding it and sticking his identification in the man's face. "I _would _insult you, but I'm sure the fight with your wife is still eating at you, so I'll leave you to your thoughts."

"Hey, knock it off. Don't go around spewing information and expect us to believe you," the other officer spoke up, folding his arms and frowning.

He swiveled his outstretched arm in the direction of the speaker, a cocky smirk donning his face. "But you _did _call for me, no? I'm a bit put off by your face—try using a corded razor instead of a battery powered one; you'll forget to replace the batteries and it'll die on you midway again, and you'll have to use your mother's hair-cutting scissors to trim at the other side of your face. That _is _why you were late this morning, isn't it?"

Kidd leisurely strolled over to the grieving couple nearest the body. Paying no attention to the gruff white-haired male, he bent over to get a peek at the female's face.

"I'm impressed. Even in your state of grief you paid enough attention to your appearance to evenly tie your pigtails. No makeup though, so I assume you thought you'd be crying a lot today."

She growled low in her throat before snapping her head up to glare at him. "Listen up, _Dick Grayson_—"

"I'm flattered, but the name's Death the Kidd. Private detective. Nice to meet you. And if I may say, you are _very _symmetrical." He flashed a grin, offering a hand.

It was Soul's turn to growl, his grip on Maka tightening. "Watch it."

Both of Kidd's eyebrows raised, amused, before he turned to the first officer he'd debunked. "You may want to get your wedding ring refitted. Anyone can tell you've been taking it off recently. You're not having an affair, are you?—No, your fight's probably still too recent. You've been thinking about it though, haven't you?"

At this point, two women rushed in and stood beside Kidd, quickly bowing and offering apologies to anyone he'd offended. "He'll loosen up once he gets to know you all better!"

Maka scowled. She didn't want to get to know this man better. She wanted to fly across the world right then, just so she wouldn't have to look at him. But, she rationalized, she needed to be polite. This man could help find the culprit who'd killed her friend.

"Then let me introduce everyone," she started, detaching herself from Soul and facing towards the detective.

"Medusa, Chrona's mother and my aunt." She pointed to a blonde woman with a relatively emotionless face, glancing up at the mention of her name, but almost immediately back down to the tarp that covered her child.

"Asura, Chrona and I's uncle and teacher." Next was a black-haired man with a tattoo of a third eye on his forehead. He, too, looked unfazed by the death of his family member.

"Officers Law and Rung." Each of the policemen, respectively.

"My father and Chrona's uncle, Spirit." She scowled at this one (_Family issues?_ He speculated, not seeing another woman that could possibly be his wife.), a red-haired man with a grieved face and a handkerchief in his right hand that looked to be used.

"My boyfriend and one of Chrona's best friends, Soul." The one who'd been holding Maka so protectively before glared at Kidd with eerily red irises.

"And me, Chrona's cousin and best friend, Maka." She rested her finger on the 'v' of her collarbone, her voice growing softer and weaker as she drew her introductions to an end.

"Pleasure to meet you all," Kidd said, bowing slightly before striding over to the yellow tape and stepping over it. "Gloves?"

One of the officers—Law, he remembered, because of the name-job coincidence—tossed him a pair of latex gloves which he quickly pulled on.

He peeled back the black tarp, causing everyone else in the room to turn away. He examined the body as thoroughly as he could with his eyes, before lifting clothing and limbs to piece together a picture.

A few minutes of inspection felt like hours to the mourners.

"Did any of you see this?" Kidd voiced, eventually. Both of the policemen rushed to the body, peering over his shoulder to catch a glimpse.

One bloodstain on the floor, underneath the body, had been dyed black. Beside it sat a message written with the newly darkened gore:

_'Let the game begin'_

* * *

**_Oh shit! _****Chrona's dead, Kidd's a Sherlock Holmes-tier detective, and Soul and Maka are dating?!**

**This is quite different from my previous KiMa. I'm excited to see how everyone feels about it. **

**P.S.: Gonna do my best to keep Chrona gender-neutral in this. Some people think he's a guy, some people think she's a girl. I'll try and satisfy the lot of you by not using gender-specific pronouns.**


	2. Irritating

**Chapter Two: Irritating**

* * *

"If you haven't taken samples to check for DNA, do that," ordered the detective. "I'd like to ask some questions to a few of the people in here."

Everyone turned to look at him, and he pointed at Maka. "You first. Step into the room over there, if you don't mind." Kidd jerked his head towards the bedroom, before pulling a small notepad out of his breast pocket and flipping it open as he stalked over to the aforementioned room.

Maka nodded hesitantly, giving Soul a quick hug and peck on the cheek before following the snarky investigator.

After they both had entered the room, Kidd shut and leaned against the door, drawing a pen from his pant pocket and clicking it.

"How close were you and the victim?"

"The _victim _has a name, you know," Maka snapped, angrily stalking over to the bed only to anticlimactically plop down and bounce a bit.

"My apologies. How close were you and Chrona?"

"We knew everything about each other," she spoke, saddened. "We were best friends. We'd visit each other all the time, we'd go out to see movies…Soul never liked that."

'_Hold it,' _Kidd wanted to say. '_I'm not a therapist.' _

"'_You act more couple-like with Chrona than you do with me!'" _she mimicked, before chuckling softly to herself. "Chrona and I were very close. Inseparable," she finished, looking up from her lap to see if her answer had satisfied the man scribbling in a notebook.

It appeared she had. He smirked as he finished his note, clicking his pen eight times.

"One more thing. Do you suspect anyone out there," he twirled his pen in his hand and tapped the wall with the nib, "of murdering your cousin?"

She audibly gasped, and her hands balled into fists as she rose to her feet and marched over to the door.

Jabbing her finger in Kidd's face, she scolded him: "That is my _family _standing out there right now! How could any of them _possibly_ have _killed _Chrona?!"

"You'd be surprised if you took a step into the real world, then. Parents murdering their children, employees killing their bosses—" His eyes flicked downward to meet hers. "—lovers slaughtering each other over something as silly as drinking from the milk carton."

Maka glared at him for a good two minutes.

"You're a horrible person," she finally spat, shoving him aside and exiting the room, being extra careful to slam the door on her way out.

Death the Kidd's right eyebrow rose as he carefully added another word onto his notepad.

_Feisty._


	3. Do-Over

**Chapter Three: Do-over**

* * *

"You next."

Soul grunted, wordlessly travelling over to and into the 'interrogation room'.

"How close were you and the victim?"

"Not very. Chrona wasn't very cool, just stuttered a lot." The white-haired man leaned against a bedpost, stuffing his hands in his jeans.

"How did you feel about the victim?"

"Well—I mean, I didn't _not _like—just kind of got a bit annoying at times, you know? Spent more time with Maka than me."

"Interesting." Despite his statement, Kidd looked as bored as a blind man in a strip club. "Do you suspect anyone of the murder?"

"You're the detective, not me," Soul scoffed.

"…Thank you for your time. Send in the red-haired one on your way out, would you?"

Another grunt and he left the room, only for Spirit to enter seconds later.

* * *

Questioning went smoothly enough, and in only a few minutes Kidd had interrogated everyone—even the policemen.

When he finally stepped out of the bedroom, all eyes turned to him; no doubt expecting an immediate accusation.

He swallowed, closing his notebook and re-pocketing it as well as his pen.

"I'll need some time to analyze what I have, as well as do some research, if you don't mind."

Officer Rung started. "Y-yes, sir, of course."

"Thank you. I'll be on my way now, then." With that, he swiftly maneuvered around the crime scene and left.

* * *

"Fancy running into you here," Kidd said, pausing as he walked past Maka's table.

She frowned, put off—she'd tried not to be seen.

Perhaps she shouldn't have gone out for coffee.

Perhaps she should've left when she saw him through the shop window.

'_But _no,' she sighed mentally. '_You could _really _use a cup of joe.'_

"Mind if I sit with you?"

She sighed, audibly this time. "What am I supposed to say? Go get hit by a bus?"

"I'll take that as a yes, then." He pulled out the chair opposite to her and seated himself.

"I—"

"Look—"

Both of them stopped abruptly, surprised; Kidd gestured for Maka to go first.

"Look, I'm sorry I've been so mean. It's just…Chrona…it really put me on edge."

"I understand. I apologize for exploiting it."

"…you exploited my grievance?"

"Somewhat. It was necessary, mind you, and it helped with the questioning."

She pinched the bridge of her nose and grit her teeth. "What were you going to say?"

"I was going to say that I'm sorry for seeming so stuck up. In this kind of business you have to be strict."

'_Now that you mention it,' _Maka noted, _'his eyes seem a little softer than before.'_

"It's fine…just…try to be a little sensitive, okay?"

"Okay. With that said, I feel like I should re-introduce myself. I'm Death the Kidd. It's very nice to meet you, madam." He offered a hand across the table.

"Maka Albarn," she said, grasping his hand in her own and shaking it. "The pleasure's all mine."


	4. Small Talk

**Chapter Four: Small Talk**

* * *

"So, I'm a little curious," began Maka, after she sipped her mocha. "When we first met you called me symmetrical. Why's that?"

He shrugged. "Because you are. Symmetry's a precious thing, and beautiful in most cases. Yours is no exception."

She flushed. "T-thanks, I think. How old are you, anyways? You look a little young to be so far up in the ranks."

"Twenty-three. I began at a young age. And you?"

"Nineteen. I'm in my third year of college."

"At such a young age?"

"I graduated high school early and jumped straight into college."

"I see. A smart one, are you, then?"

"I'd like to see it that way, yes."

Kidd chuckled and took a drink of his coffee. "What are you studying?"

"Law, Government, and Psychology. I want to be a lawyer."

"A lawyer, hm? Interesting choice."

"I've wanted to be one ever since I was little."

His eyebrows arched. "Really, now? That's unusual."

"Yes, it is." She straightened her back; taking pride in the fact that she was different.

Again, a small laugh sounded in Kidd's throat. "You're not like most of the girls your age. You don't wear makeup at all—some people would condemn you for that, you know."

"I know. Let them." She took another sip of her beverage. "So, how long have you been into the investigation stuff?"

"I read any mystery book I could get my hands on as a kid. I guess it just stuck with me. I, like you, graduated high school early and went straight for university."

"How'd you get so reputable so fast? Surely you only graduated a little while ago."

He shrugged. "I just did what I did best. First it was small things, favors for friends; once I'd become well-enough known in my area, I built a small business and posted advertisements. One thing led to another, and before I knew it, I was being asked to help out with criminal cases."

"Wow..." she breathed, eyes wide in amazement. "That's awesome! And to think you've come so far!"

Laughing nervously, he set his drink down on the provided coaster. "There are people who've done much more at my age; no need to get star-struck."

"But you're not them, are you? It's really amazing! Does doing what you do pay well?"

"Yes, I suppose. I can support myself and my family fairly well."

"I hope one day I can be as successful as you."

"Well you're surely on the right path."

They sat in comfortable silence for several minutes, until something appeared to dawn on Maka and she hurriedly stood up.

"I should get going. I have a date with Soul later tonight and I still need to pick something to wear!"

"Should I count on seeing you sometime in the next few days?" Unfazed by her outburst, Kidd tilted his head up to look at her.

She smiled. "Bet on it."

* * *

Kidd spent most of his time in the coffee shop, occasionally toting a laptop with him.

Often, Maka would join him and they'd make small chitchat over mochas and cappuccinos.

The two had grown close over the brief period he was looking into details.

"So…do you have any leads?"

She asked the question with a sad smile, and even though it came out of nowhere, Kidd had been expecting it for quite some time.

"That depends on your definition of 'lead'."

"Anything."

"Well, Chrona was killed with a sword. An ancient one, at that. Unusual for this…era, if you will. I gave the lab technologist and pathologist who did the autopsy a list of things to look for. I can't disclose any of the details, but I've been making a few calls to some antique shops." He threw a wink her way. "I've also gone down to the school and asked around a bit, as well as done some background research on a few people."

"…do you have any suspects in mind…?"

"A couple. Three, to be exact."

"But you can't say who."

"Right."

"How're you gonna narrow them down? Pull them in for interrogation?"

"Ah, that'll depend. I'm still doing research on them, so it might not even be necessary."

Maka sighed, twiddling her thumbs in irritancy. "How long do these investigations usually take?"

Kidd couldn't help but smile. "It'll be over soon."

A few more days passed, and with them perished Maka's patience.

"Kidd, I want to know who killed my cousin, and I want to know _now,_" she finally snapped, slamming a textbook down on the small coffeehouse table.

"I haven't narrowed it down to one suspect yet, Maka," Kidd sighed. "And even if I _had_, it's confidential information. You wouldn't be allowed to know."

"You're not telling me because it's someone I'm fond of, isn't it?" she huffed, crossing her arms. "Go on, hit me with it. I'm not as weak as you think."

He dismissed her demand, instead choosing to close his notepad and pocket it before standing up and dusting himself off. "Classified information, Maka. If I told you, you'd interfere. I hate to cut coffee-time short, but I have a few questions to ask someone."

With that, Kidd strolled out of the shop, hands stuffed in the pockets of his slacks.

Maka 'hmph'ed, before dropping down onto the seat he'd kindly left vacant.


	5. Suspicions

**Chapter Five: Suspicions**

* * *

"You suspected _Soul?!_" she screeched, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and yanking him down to eye level so he could see just how angry she was.

A few of the passerby glanced their way with curious or worried looks.

"It's my _job _to suspect people, Maka. There was a motive and everything, so I just asked him a few questions. He didn't do it, so no harm done." Kidd rolled his eyes; again, unaffected by her aggressiveness.

The sidewalk beneath them was suddenly littered with dark spots, suggesting that it was beginning to rain.

"_No harm done? _Do you have any idea what kinds of rumors are going around, after people saw you ask him if you could 'ask him a few questions'?!"

"Rumors are talk. That's not my fault, it's the gossipers'. Would you mind letting go of me? I'm getting wet and with you holding the fabric like that it's going to dry with asymmetrical wrinkles."

Wrinkling her nose in disgust, she all but threw him back. Just as she turned to stomp away, Kidd called her back:

"If it's any consultation, it means the suspect list is shorter, now."

She paused—"Call me when you've found the culprit."—and then left.

He sighed, before tapping the point of his umbrella on the ground and then opening it to shield him from the rain for the remainder of his outing.

* * *

"I still can't believe it," Maka pouted, wiggling her toes as her boyfriend threw a T.V. dinner in the microwave.

"Naw, he was perfectly justified in suspecting me. Not to mention I was acting like a dick when we were introduced."

Now she giggled, turning her head back to look at him. "Being protective is now being a dick? I must be a whore then; I do love the protective ones."

"Very funny. Maybe you should be a comedian."

"Maybe I should. So what exactly did he ask you?"

Soul paused, resting a hand on the counter and scratching his scalp with the other. "I don't remember _exactly_. Just asked me how I felt about Chrona, and about the murder, and some other stuff I don't quite recall."

Maka sighed. "You have a thick skull. You don't remember much, do you?"

"Not much, no, but I remembered our anniversary last month, didn't I?" He grinned, showing off his peculiarly sharp teeth towards the living room.

She snorted. "That's only because I marked it on the calendar in big red letters."

"Ouch! My pride!"

* * *

It was a few days before Maka ventured to the coffee shop again, as she was embarrassed at her attitude the last time she'd seen Kidd.

He didn't seem to mind, though; as soon as he spotted her, he gave a friendly wave and beckoned for her to sit with him.

"How's the investigation going?" she asked, pulling out the chair and sitting down.

He sighed, and she noticed the dark spots under his eyes. "I've hit a roadblock."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" She was terrible at hiding her feelings; he could all but _feel _the eagerness seeping out through her pores as she leaned forward.

"Maybe." He folded his arms. "Walk me through how you think an investigation like this goes."

Tapping her finger against her chin and humming, she soon began to speak. "Well, first you get the call, right?"

"Don't ask, just talk."

"Okay. So you get the call, ri—sorry. You get the call and you go down to the scene of the crime. You examine the body, note anything significant, and then talk to some of the people there." She frowned. "From there I'm not really sure—"

"Keep talking." Although Kidd likely went through this process frequently, he seemed to be listening _very _intently.

"So after talking to a lot of people that knew the victim, you build your list of suspects. And then it's process of elimination, even if you have to go interrogate every single person on the list."

"Elaborate on that. The process of elimination."

"Well, for example, if the victim was sniped or hit really precisely with a bullet, you could probably knock out anyone who couldn't tell you how to correctly reload a gun. Of course, there's also the possibility they'd be lying—but you'd be able to tell, right?"

"State. Don't ask."

"Fine. Also, like with…Chrona…if the victim was killed cleanly with a sword, anyone who's bad with swords couldn't have done it."

"Now elaborate on the interrogation process." Kidd furrowed his eyebrows further when she flushed at this, but urged her to continue nonetheless.

"W-well, the only things I know about _that _are what I've seen in…ah…television shows."

Now he raised an eyebrow. "Why are you embarrassed about that?"

"B-because it's stereotypical and the only knowledge I _have _about it is stereotypical and stereotypes aren't good!"

Kidd laughed. "Go on, now you've made me curious."

She nearly yelped, pulling a hand up to her mouth as if to stop herself from saying any more.

"I think I'll skip that part!" Now her hands were over her ears, and she was oblivious to the man across her's protests. "As I was saying—after you narrow the list down you start picking them off one by one. Then, you're left with one. You corner 'em, ask 'em a couple questions, then—bang! Get in the car, felon!" Shaping her hand like a gun, she whispered a 'pew' sound and tilted it up—she pretended to shoot Kidd in the face.

He played along, lolling his head back and playing dead for a few moments. When he 'revived', he cracked his neck and sighed. "Well, that's one less life I've got."

"…Did I help at all?" She almost looked guilty—staring up at him with her big, green eyes.

"Yes. You did." He smiled warmly, patting her head. Her expression lit up instantly, and she looked almost like a dog. If she had a tail, she'd surely be wagging it.

"In fact," he started, packing up the few items he'd brought, "you helped so well that I'm going to try and close this whole thing right now."

Her grin stretched wider and she nearly leapt out of her seat to tackle him in a hug.

"Thank you," she whispered to him. "Thank you."

As he left the shop, a rueful expression donned his face for a moment before he sighed and turned back to Maka.

"Maka," he said. "Call Soul tonight while he's out. Just…check up on him."

She frowned. "You said he was off the list, though, right? Why would I need to—"

"Just do it."

And he was gone.


	6. Unraveling

**Chapter 6: Unraveling**

* * *

_Ring, ring. Ring, ring._

Maka sighed as the dull sound continued. She had no clue why Kidd had instructed her to call Soul, but she figured she better do it anyway. He wasn't one to make someone do something for nothing.

_Click._

Finally.

_"Hello?" _Soul's voice was—unexpectedly—drunk. Though she wouldn't put it past him—he _had _gone out to a sports game with the guys, and where there's sports, there's beer.

That didn't explain why there wasn't any background noise, though.

"Hey, Soul. How's the game?"

_"Game? Huh?"_

"The game you told me you were going to. You didn't lie to me so you could run off drinking with them, did you? I would've been fine if you'd told me you were going to the bar."

Maka picked up on some footsteps on the other line.

_"Oh—sorry 'bout that."_

Her grip on her cellphone tensed when another person spoke.

_"Soul, honey, who's that? Hurry up with it, our six-month-anniversary dinner is almost ready!"_

It was muffled and in the background, but it _definitely _sounded like Soul was with his girlfriend.

_But _I'm _his girlfriend, _thought Maka, pressing the phone against her ear, trying hard to listen.

_"It's no one, babe."_

Tears welled up in the corners of Maka's eyes. _No one?_

"S-Soul, are you—?"

_"Can't talk now, Maka. I'll call you back later."_

_Beep, beep, beep._

She dropped her phone, remembering the look on Kidd's face as he told her to call Soul.

_He knew?_

_Soul is cheating on me. He's _cheating _on me. He's _been _cheating on me for six months!_

Her hands balled into fists as she willed herself to not cry.

* * *

As soon as Soul opened the door at midnight, he was met with a powerful punch to the jaw.

He flew backwards, landing on his ass on the porch.

"What the hell was that for?!" He demanded, nursing his face as he stood back up.

"For cheating on me. And _this_," she punched him in the nose, "is for letting it continue. For _six months_."

"Maka, I can explain—!"

"And **_this_**," she yanked him forward by his jacket and kneed him in his crotch, "is for _leading me on _when you could have just _broken up with me!_" she shrieked, pulling him up to his feet again when he doubled over in pain.

She stood straight and pointed at the stairwell, and Soul knew that it was taking all of her resolve to not hit him again right then. "Pack your shit and get out."

His head hung in shame, and he muttered something along the lines of "I was so not cool" before trudging up the stairs to his and Maka's room.

Only after he'd sincerely apologized, taken his belongings, and left for good did Maka allow herself to cry.

She refused to be reduced to a wreck, though. Just a few tears. That's all.

Deciding that there was no way she'd get any sleep that night, she exited her house and began walking towards the place that'd become her second home recently.

The coffee shop.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, Maka beat the shit out of Soul. He deserved it. **

**So I had her rough Soul up a bit. Don't hate me for it.**

**Sorry for the short chapter—although there ****_was _****a lot of stuff packed into it.**

**End A/N**


	7. Consolation

**Chapter Seven: Consolation**

* * *

She watched the stars twinkle through heavy eyelids, and she asked for another mocha.

The bell above the door tinkled as someone entered, but she paid it no mind. She knew who it was.

"You knew," said Maka when he sat across from her.

"Yes."

"How long?—did you know?" She studied her beverage intently, watching the whipped cream swirl around.

"A few days."

"How did you figure it out…?"

Kidd sighed. "I suspected it when I first met you two. He was far too protective of you; almost like he was paranoid. Then I knew for sure when I pulled him aside the other day."

"I see…"

"You haven't cried about it, have you, Maka?"

"Not really."

"It's okay to."

"I know. I was just…more angry than anything at first, and I punched him when he got back."

A smile ghosted across his lips. "I'm sorry that all of this happened."

She shook her head. "At least I didn't walk in on them…you know..and he's been with her for six months, too, right? So at least it seems like a real relationship i-instead of a fuck buddy—"

He cut her off. "Maka."

"Thank you, really, for not hiding it from me. It only would've made it harder later on."

"Do you need a shoulder?"

Laughing bitterly, she shook her head no again. "I'll be fine. Besides, even if I did, it'd only stain your shirt asymmetrically." He blushed.

"Even so, I'm here to comfort you. Isn't that what friends do?"

She paused, cocking her head to the side. Was that why he'd come?

He didn't have a notebook on him, nor was his laptop case resting by his feet—apparently it was.

"How'd you know I'd be here, though?"

Kidd shrugged. "It just seemed like you would."

"You didn't stay up for this, did you? Please tell me you got some sleep—"

"Look who's talking. I can see bags under your eyes already." He smirked, before beckoning the poor soul who worked night shift at the shop over and asking for a coffee.

"You did get some sleep though, right?"

"Will you stop nagging me if I say yes?"

"Depends on if you're lying or not," she retorted, crossing her arms.

Leaning forward, he interlocked his fingers together and looked her in the eyes. "Yes, I got some sleep."

She studied him intently, searching for any sign of deceit.

"You're lying to me," she concluded, puffing her cheeks out and sinking down into her seat.

"Really? How can you tell?"

"You had a weird glint in your eye. I could just sort of sense it."

He sighed. "You're too insightful sometimes."

"Yeah…you know, I kind of feel like my mama right now."

"Really? Why's that?"

"My papa cheated on her a lot when I was little. She stuck around for me, though."

"…Ah."

"She left a few years ago, though, when it got out of hand. I don't hear from her much, anymore, though. I only get a few postcards now and then."

He hummed in understanding. "My mother died while giving birth to me."

She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "That's horrible, I'm so sorry—"

"Don't be." He waved a hand to dismiss her. "I don't feel as sad about it as you must about your mother; I never knew mine, after all."

"Still…to not know your mom…"

"Really, it's fine. I still grew up alright. You, on the other hand…" Kidd smirked deviously, propping his elbows up on the table and resting his chin in his hands.

She pouted. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing at all."

"Oh, I just remembered something—you're a symmetry fanatic, right?" At this he stiffened, clearing his throat and adjusting his posture.

"It's more of an OCD, really."

"That makes it even stranger." Maka's eyebrows furrowed and her eyes gleamed with curiosity.

"Makes what even stranger?"

"The stripes on your hair."

At the mere mention of them, he face-planted onto the table. He uttered words of self-hate, and Maka frantically searched through her mind for a way to console him.

"H-hey! It's not like they look _bad _or anything—in fact, they look great! I couldn't picture you with them all the way around or completely without them, they suit you perfectly!"

His complaints died down after a minute or two, and he finally sat up a minute after that. He swallowed, adjusted his shirt collar and apologized for his breakdown.

"The stripes are…as _vile _and _hideous _as they are…a part of me. Dye won't work, and Liz and Patti won't let me shave my head—"

"Pfftch—" Again, Maka slapped a hand over her mouth; this time, however, it was to keep herself from bursting into laughter. Tears welled at the corners of her eyes and her face grew red, but she did her best to keep quiet.

If quiet was a mad giggle fit.


	8. Late Night Surprise and a Date

**Chapter Eight: Late Night Surprise and a Date**

* * *

"Let me walk you home," offered Kidd. He pulled his right sleeve back to reveal a watch. "It _is _pretty late, and I don't want you to get jumped or something."

"I appreciate the concern, but I think I'll be fine."

"I insist."

And so Kidd and Maka strolled down the two-AM streets in a comfortable silence.

Which is why it surprised Kidd when Maka suddenly stopped, glaring behind her shoulder.

"Maka? Is everything—"

"Shh."

He listened closely, and now he heard it: footsteps. Slow, but deliberate.

He also noticed that Maka's feet were planted wide. She was ready for a fight.

But her hands weren't balled into fists, like he'd expected.

Her arms hung limply at her sides, and she remained entirely focused on the entity that appeared to be following them.

Kidd recognized the _click-click _of a gun.

_'Well, I didn't _actually _think we'd get jumped._'

Maka drew a small knife from her back pocket. He almost yelped—why on _Earth _was she carrying a knife?!

"Step into the light," she demanded.

Kidd glanced up at the streetlight above them and stepped back a foot or two.

A man clad in black—hoodie, cargo pants, ski mask—approached them. In his left hand he held a revolver, pointing straight at Maka's face.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Give me your money. Credit cards." Deep voice, not shaking—experienced.

"No."

_"Now."_

She held up the knife and twirled it expertly. "Come and get 'em."

Kidd watched the banter in awe. Usually, this kind of confrontation led to a damsel in distress.

"I'm not playin' around, girly!"

"Then shoot me, why don't you?"

He wanted to scold Maka for taunting a mugger.

"Tch—I might just do it!"

"What're you waiting for?"

It seemed the man had just noticed Kidd; he switched his aim to and fro repeatedly, which made said detective nervous.

Maka sighed. "Look, I don't have time for this. Just go away."

"Damn—_you!_" He charged at her, left arm bending at the elbow and jutting forward in an attempt to strike her.

All she need do to counter was step aside; he was leaning too far forward—betting his balance on colliding with her.

He soon crashed into the ground and Maka waltzed over to him, squatting next to his body and lightly touching her knife to his neck. He froze.

"There. I win. My friend and I are going to leave now, and if you follow us I won't go easy on you."

She returned to her standing position and beckoned Kidd over, resuming their walk.

"That was amazing," said Kidd the moment they were out of earshot of the criminal.

"Huh?"

"Weren't you scared? Of the gun?"

"He was bluffing. It wasn't even loaded."

"Care to explain the process?"

"Well…I just made a lucky guess when I heard it cock. He obviously wanted to scare us, but by alerting us to his presence, we could easily have made a run for it, so he didn't want to kill us. So I had him come forward so I could see him—the first thing I saw was that the revolver wasn't loaded, and then I felt kind of bad."

"Why's that?"

"His right sleeve wasn't pulled down all the way, and it looked like his arm was wrapped in bandages. That and the fact that his gun hand wasn't steady told me that he wasn't left handed and _couldn't _hold the gun in his right hand."

"I see.."

"Now couple that with the fact that he wanted money, and you've got this: he needs money to pay for his medical bills. So I felt bad for him."

"Incredible. Are you sure you want to be a lawyer?"

She giggled. "Thank you, and yes. I told you I read a fair amount of mystery novels, yes?"

"Just reading in general."

"Oh. Well, mystery is one of my favorite genres, so I picked up a lot of things from books."

"That's not bad at all. I don't think anyone else—hell, even me—could've pulled that off under that much pressure."

"Oh, you're making me blush."

They both laughed, and continued the trek back to Maka's house.

* * *

"Do you want to come in?" she asked, opening the door and stepping inside. "I could make coffee."

"That'd be lovely. Thank you."

"How'd it go earlier today?" She poured water into her coffeemaker, and set about searching her cupboards for the ground.

"Hm?"

"You said you were going to try and close the case up. Were you able to?"

"Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get ahold of the one I meant to question." He sighed and carefully lowered himself onto her couch.

"Oh…Will you be able to tomorrow?" She noticed the clock. "…Later today?"

"Hopefully. If not I'll move to the other one."

"Well, either way you'll find out who did it, right?"

"Right."

"That's a relief." Maka brought two cups of coffee out to the living room, handing one to Kidd before sitting on the loveseat across from the couch.

"Something is still worrying me, though." He frowned, and then took a sip.

"What's that?"

"That note written on the floor by the body. It said 'Let the game begin,' but nothing else has happened. I don't know what they're planning, but they're planning something."

"That is a little upsetting…" She crossed her left leg over her right and tightened her hold on the coffee cup.

"I feel like they're waiting. And I'm afraid that someone else might get hurt."

"Maybe they were bluffing?" she suggested.

"That'd be hardly a bluff, though. I don't know if they intended to scare me off of the case, or…" He sat with his eyebrows furrowed, deep in thought.

"I'm sure it'll go fine. Don't worry." She offered a smile, and he responded with a grim one of his own.

"I sure hope so."

She stood up and approached him, taking his empty cup. "Do you want another?"

"No, I should actually be going, soon. I'd like to get at least a couple hours of sleep."

"Alright. You don't need me to walk you home or anything? You might get jumped." A playful smirk danced around her lips and he pouted.

"I'm not helpless, you know. You just stepped in before I could've."

She snorted. "What would you have done? Fork over your cash?"

"No, I would've used my powers of persuasion."

"What _powers_? You just studied psychology way too much."

"Guilty as charged." He tipped an imaginary hat and made his way over to the door. "I'll give you a call once I sort this thing out later. Would you care to join me for dinner afterward?"

Face tinted pink, she smiled and nodded. "That'd be lovely. Somewhere different from the coffee shop, I presume?"

"The coffee shop doesn't exactly serve meals, so yes, somewhere different."

"I'll look forward to it, then."


	9. Downhill

**Chapter Nine: Downhill**

* * *

Kidd managed to get back to his hotel room rather quickly, and without incident. He slept for a small number of hours until his alarm woke him and he dragged himself out of bed.

By noon he'd called for a taxi and by twelve-thirty he'd been dropped off three blocks from his interviewee's house.

He walked the sidewalk at a brisk pace, with his hands in his front pockets where they incessantly fiddled with the clasps on his wallets.

As he stepped onto the porch and raised his hand to knock, a sense of uneasiness washed over him.

He pushed it aside, diagnosing it as just nerves, and rapped on the door.

It opened.

"Ah, you're that detective, right?"

"Yes. Medusa, correct? Do you mind if I step in for a moment? I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."

"…Certainly." The woman stepped to the side, holding the door open. Kidd entered the house, and gestured for her to have a seat.

"Where were you on the night of the seventeenth?"

She heaved a sigh, crossing her legs. "Here."

"What were you doing?"

"Talking with my brother."

"Your brother meaning Asura, correct?"

"Right."

"Would you mind telling me what you two were discussing so I can harden your alibi?"

"Oh. He called me because he needed help breaking into Chrona's apartment."

At this point, her lips peeled back to reveal a vicious smile; very reminiscent of a snake.

Kidd stiffened and his hand darted to his pocket. "So then, Asura—"

"It was Asura who committed the murder, yes. But was he the brains behind the operation? No."

At this point he wished he carried a knife, like Maka. Something wasn't right.

"Although Chrona was the first, it doesn't mean we're anywhere near done."

"Who else do you plan to kill? As long as you're telling me all the details."

She hummed, spreading her fingers in the air and bending each one as she said a name.

"Well we already got Chrona—others on the list include Maka's bratty boyfriend, and that bitchy blonde in Maka and Chrona's friend group, as well as that blue-haired egotist—I see them way too much, and they really ought to be put in their place. And then the lovely queen of sticking-her-nose-in-where-it-doesn't-belong herself, Maka."

"Something tells me you don't plan on letting me leave."

"Alive. I could care less where you go when you're dead."

"And what makes you think you can kill me?"

"Oh, I actually don't care about killing you." She laughed. "I just need to keep you here long enough for Asura to kill Maka."

His eyes widened before his face scrunched up in rage, and he all but exploded.

"You wouldn't dare."

"It's been planned for months."

"That plan may be ruined quite soon." His hand retracted from his pocket and dangling from it was his cellphone, in the middle of a minute-long call.

Contrary to Kidd's expectations, her expression did not change. Her pose did not stiffen, and she laughed again.

"You think _police _can stop this? Think again, Holmes."

"Though I'm flattered by your choice of nickname, I think you severely underestimate the power of law enforcement."

He blinked and she was in his face, and he felt something cold and silver poking his throat.

_Looks like knife-carrying is a family trait._


	10. Uncle

**Chapter Ten: Uncle**

* * *

Maka ended up rolling out of bed at around twelve forty-five, and she waltzed downstairs to make some half-assed pancakes.

She poured the batter into the pan, and then she heard a very familiar sound.

_Click-click._

Immediately raising her hands in the air, she slowly turned around.

"Uncle Asura? What are you doing?"

She could see that the gun was fully loaded.

And pointed at her.

"Something I should have done a long time ago."

Maka could hear the sizzling of the pancakes behind her, and she only hoped she could stall long enough.

"Why?"

"Because you're nosy. Annoying. And there are consequences to certain types of behavior in the real world." He grinned, showing off his crooked teeth.

"Can't you apply that to yourself, as well? You'll spend a lifetime in prison if you get caught, and—"

"_If_ I get caught. And there you go again, sticking your nose in other people's problems. Can't you just _mind _your own _business_?"

"I-I wasn't aware I was—"

"Of course you weren't. No one is ever aware."

"Then how can you justify—"

"Justify what? Killing them? We don't do it just to teach people a lesson. It's _fun_."

"We?"

"Your aunt's in on it too, sorry to say."

She gasped, and at just the right moment, too: her pancakes had just started to burn.

Off went the smoke detector, and Maka took the chance to land a punch on her uncle's jaw. He pulled the trigger a second too late; the bullet burrowed into the counter she'd been in front of moments before.

"You little brat—" He cut himself off by smacking her upside the head with the barrel of the gun. She stumbled backwards, gripping the opposite counter to steady herself.

He fired again but it only grazed her temple slightly—she flinched, braced herself against the counter, and brought a hand to the side of her head to shield it from any further harm.

"You're going to walk outside."

She readily complied, the smoke detector still ringing in her ears.

"Get in the car."

"O-oka—"

"Don't _talk,_ just _do it!_" Maka whimpered as the barrel was shoved into her back, pushing her forward.

She shakily opened the passenger door, and clambered in.

Asura went around the front of the car, never changing the target of his aim.

He sat in the drivers' seat, turned the key in the ignition, and drove away.

Maka did not fasten her seatbelt.

* * *

They were rolling along a deserted road (she could tell from the vegetation that grew in the cracks) when she decided to make a break for it.

In one fell swoop, she knocked the gun out of his hand and onto the floor while opening the car door with her other hand.

She tucked and rolled.

A loud curse was heard from the Chevy, along with several gunshots.

Maka kept rolling, and quite soon found herself in a ditch off the side of the road.

She waited a few minutes to make sure he wasn't coming back—at least for a while, anyway—and then peeked over the edge. In the distance—perhaps a few hundred yards away—was a small grassy area populated by trees.

That was her chance.

She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, and once she made it to the cover of foliage, she fell to her knees, panting.

Now she just needed to figure out where she was and how to get a hold of Kidd.


	11. Catching Up

**Chapter Eleven: Catching up**

* * *

"How are you going to know when the deed is done and when you can release me?"

As much as it sickened his stomach, Kidd needed to play it cool. No showing weakness.

"When he calls me and asks how to dispose of the body." She rolled her eyes. "And would you please end that call?" She accented the end of her question with added pressure to the knife.

"…Of course." He slowly moved his left hand over to his right, and pressed the 'end call' button.

They stood in silence for several minutes, and when Kidd's phone rang, Medusa jumped; this caused an accidental draw of blood from Kidd's neck.

He hissed at the sudden incision, glared at her—_"I have a cut on one side of my neck and not the other"—_and glanced at his phone screen.

_Incoming Call_

_Unknown number_

She nudged him with the knife. "Answer it."

He swiped across the screen and held the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

_"Kidd? This is the right number, right?" _

Maka.

His eyes flickered to Medusa. She didn't seem to be able to hear what was coming in from the other line.

"Oh, hello, Patty. What happened to your cellphone? Did you and Liz drain your batteries?"

_"Huh—oh. Yes. We did. We actually ran into a mugger on the way to the payphone—didn't you and Maka get mugged last night?"_

"Yes, that's right, we did. I seem to be having the same luck as you today."

_"You didn't get anything stolen, did you?"_

"No, no. Don't worry about me, I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about, Patricia—what part of town are you even _in?_"

_"Somewhere in the southern part of the city."_

"I see. I'll see if I can call a cab for you. Sit tight, and tell Liz not to flirt with any boys or I'll have to give her a serious talking-to."

_"…Okay."_

The call ended and Kidd looked at Medusa expectantly.

"I kind of told my assistant I'd get her a ride. Can I leave now?"

"Tch." Though resistant, she withdrew her knife and crossed her arms. "Whatever. I have to leave, anyways."

"Thank you." He glanced around the room one last time before backing out of the residence.

As soon as he reached the sidewalk he burst into a run towards the police station. That'd be quicker than trying to get a taxi.

* * *

"Detective, how can we help you?" The woman at the front desk smiled, looking up from her computer.

"With a few things. First, it wasn't one person; it was two. The victim's mother along with the uncle. Medusa and Asura. Gorgon is the last name. Second, it's extremely likely that the uncle is on the move right now. Where to, I don't know. Third, they have more targets. And fourth, I need a car."

* * *

Maka fidgeted in place, peering around the shelf at the store window to see if anyone was driving by.

The owners of the shop had been kind enough to let her take refuge while she waited for a ride. Thankfully that part of town wasn't very heavily occupied, or there'd have been more people going in and out. Maka didn't really want to be surrounded by people at the moment.

She waited for half an hour, and then she saw a police car slowly cruising down the street. She dashed outside—"Thank you, my ride's here now!"—and waved to get its attention.

Kidd pulled the car over to the side of the street she was on and she quickly entered the vehicle.

"Cars can go really far in a short amount of time," said Maka. "Do you have any clue how far I had to walk before I found _civilization_?"

He chuckled dryly. "No clue at all. Are you hurt at all?"

"I probably got a few scrapes when I jumped out of the car, and I got shot—"

"_What?_"

"It's not bad or anything, though! Just a graze!"

"He _shot _you?"

"I'm just glad he didn't kill me."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Oh, this is getting far too extreme for an old man like me to handle."

"You're twenty-three. Normal detectives and private investigators are in their forties."

"Good, you can still sass me. You're not seriously injured, then."

She rolled her eyes. "What happened with you? Using secret codes and all."

Sighing, he repositioned his hands on the steering wheel. "Medusa. I went to interrogate her and after she confessed to being the 'brains' behind the whole thing, she pulled a knife on me."

"Are _you _hurt at all?"

"Just a scratch. Nothing to worry about."

She frowned. "Well, wasn't today just a hot mess…"

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Doves used to be called turtles."

Kidd wasn't able to contain his laughter.


	12. Nightmares and Bookstores

**Chapter Twelve: Nightmares and Bookstores**

* * *

"So what do we do now?"

"I don't know. Wait?"

Maka sighed.

"Was I the only other one they were planning to kill?"

"…No."

"Who else?"

Kidd sat on her couch and leaned forward. "Soul, and a boy with blue hair, along with a 'bitchy blonde'."

"Soul, Black*Star, and Liz?"

"Wait, you know Liz?"

"Yeah. We went to high school together; she was one of my best friends." She took a seat next to him. "We caught up while you were questioning everyone a while ago."

"Ah….Your head.." He frowned, pulling some of her hair aside to gently prod the dried blood sticking to her head.

She winced. "I told you, I got shot."

His eyes widened. "On your _head_?"

"I had a lucky break. It barely scratched me." She cast her gaze to the ground, shifting uncomfortably.

He sighed. "You have no idea how lucky you were."

"I'm pretty sure I do."

"…Don't get attacked by murderers anymore."

"I'll do my best."

Silence befell the two after she reentered the room with the side of her head bandaged up. He could easily tell she was exhausted, but trying not to sleep.

"Tired?"

"A little.." She looked at the ground, as if guilty.

"You're afraid to go to sleep, aren't you?"

"…It's stupid, I know…"

He turned to face her. "Someone snuck into your house and tried to kill you today. I'd be scared out of my mind, too."

On cue, she yawned.

"Why don't you head up to bed? I'll hang around here for a little while. If you want, I'll stop by first thing in the morning, too."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Of course. After all, the dinner plans were kind of butchered." He offered a smile.

Her face lit up and she leaned over to hug him. "Thanks. I'll have to take you up on that." After a split second of deliberation, she reached up and pecked him on the cheek. Then she retreated to her bedroom.

…

_She didn't kiss me symmetrically._

* * *

About two hours later, she came trudging back downstairs with a pillow clutched to her chest and eyes droopier than week-old flowers.

"Trouble sleeping?" Kidd looked up from one of her books. She nodded wearily. "Alright, come on over here."

She did so, almost tripping over the couch in the process.

Dropping down next to him, she immediately curled up with her head resting on his chest. He wrapped a secure arm around her to make sure she wouldn't fall, and picked the book back up.

He had a feeling she'd sleep fairly well.

Sleep well they both did—as eight o'clock rolled around the next morning, Maka awoke to find herself cuddling on the couch with an OCD-riddled detective.

Unknowing of how long he stayed awake the previous night, she decided not to wake him, and instead fell back asleep herself.

Next for a wake-up call was the aforementioned detective. Eight thirty came around quicker than anticipated, and the first thing Kidd thought as he awoke was:

_Why am I cuddling on the couch with the woman whose cousin's murder I solved?_

So naturally, when Maka woke up again, both of them flushed red and Kidd jumped off of the couch.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean for it to—"

"It's fine. I didn't mind."

Both of their blushes deepened.

"I'll…uh…make breakfast."

"Alright."

She left Kidd to compose himself, making her way over to the kitchen and pulling the egg carton out of the refrigerator.

Within minutes she'd made two plates of scrambled eggs and bacon—and she took extra care to arrange Kidd's symmetrically.

She noticed the spot where the bullet fired yesterday had chipped her counter and winced at the memory.

Pushing the thought away, she set the table and summoned Kidd, who was now much more awake.

That didn't mean he'd realized how spectacularly terrible his bedhead—er, couchhead was.

Maka stifled a giggle at the sight of him, and he raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"Your hair," she forced out.

"What about my hair?"

Perhaps he wasn't fully awake yet.

"It's a mess."

"E-eh?!"

"You didn't know?" A smirk danced around her lips.

His hands flew to his hair and he frantically tried to fix his bedhead.

She giggled. "Oh well. Worry about that later; eat now."

Sighing, Kidd turned his attention to breakfast.

Clinking of silverware against plates filled the room.

* * *

"So are the police on their tails?" asked Maka, as Kidd flipped through her newspaper.

"I don't see why they wouldn't be. Now we just have to play the waiting game."

"Um…Kidd?"

"Hm?" He turned to face her.

"If it's not too much trouble, do you think maybe I could…hang out with you today? I'm not really comfortable being alone in here since yesterday…" She twiddled her thumbs, and her face had a significantly pinker hue.

Since she was so intently focused on her shoes, she didn't get to see his face light up like a child in a candy store.

"That's perfectly alright with me. We could make up for our ruined dinner date, too!"

"Really?"

"Of course!" The corners of his mouth stretched wide across his face in an ironically crooked smile—Maka made a note to herself to never mention it. Then he'd never grin like that again.

And it was adorable.

"Today shall be perfect," he declared, straightening his posture and smoothing his wrinkled shirt.

"We both need to get ready, first, unless you want to walk around looking like you just rolled out of bed."

His eyebrows arched. "Well, duh. Hmm…I'll pick out your outfit."

"I-I can pick out my own clothes!" she huffed, folding her arms.

"Not today, you can't. We can't afford a wardrobe malfunction."

And before she could catch him, he'd dashed up the stairs.

By the time she made it to her room, he was standing in front of her bed looking very proud of himself.

Laid out on her comforter was an outfit that actually looked…good.

Though Maka had never pinned Kidd as the fashionable type, she supposed it _did _make sense—what with his OCD and all.

"Fine, fine, I'll wear it. You need to get ready, too. I'll be fine here for a bit, so why don't you go to your hotel and get ready and we can meet up somewhere?"

"Sounds good to me. Anywhere in particular you'd like to go?"

She pinched her chin between her thumb and index finger and pursed her lips, before relaxing into a smile.

"The bookstore."

* * *

An hour passed and by ten thirty, Maka waved Kidd over to the aisle she was in.

"Romantic mystery, hm?"

She squeaked, spinning around. "I know it's a bookstore, but you don't have to be _that _quiet!" she whispered harshly.

He chuckled. "Do you want to spend more time here, or head on out?"

"I've been trying to choose between a couple books, actually. Maybe you could give me some input?"

"Hmm?"

Kidd leaned over her shoulder and skimmed the synopses on the backs of both of the books she held.

"I don't think either of these suit you. One moment…" He stepped back, scanning the shelves on either side of them.

Suddenly his arm shot out and he pulled a hardback book from its spot to read the introduction.

After a few seconds, he nodded in approval and replaced the two she juggled with the one. "That one."

She frowned, flipping it over and looking over the back. Her eyebrows raised and she nodded, before tilting her head up to face Kidd. "This actually looks pretty good."

"See? I don't just use my skills for solving murders, you know."

Maka giggled. "I know."

He dragged his fingers along one of the shelves, reading each title. "So where would you like to go today?"

"Well, there's this new art gallery that opened up close by. Maybe we could stop by there?"

"That sounds great."

Within five minutes they'd both picked out a couple of books, and Kidd, after much protest from the other party, treated Maka to hers.

They stepped out onto the sidewalk and he hailed them a cab; they both climbed in and Maka offered directions.

It didn't take long to get there, and Kidd yet again covered the cost, despite her objections.

"I'm paying for our tickets," she informed him, beginning the ascent up the stairs to the building.

"You don't have to do that. Let me." He followed in close pursuit, never more than two steps away.

"Please, let me pay—consider it a 'thank-you'. For today."

He sighed, and bargained—they eventually agreed to split the cost as the doors slid open.

Maka's lips parted into a circle and she made a quiet _"oh"_. He turned, cocking his head to the side.

She pointed at a sign plastered on the wall:

_Grand Opening_

_All Tickets Free, All Day_

"I guess my efforts were in vain after all," she sighed.

Kidd patted her head carefully—careful as to not mess up her hair, and he chuckled. "Poor you."

"I like these statues," he commented. "Very symmetrical. Though I'm a bit puzzled as to why they don't have _heads_."

Giggling, she pointed at the plaque that sat in front of them.

_Death of the Individual_

"Hm.." he looked back and forth between the two, eventually shrugging. "I guess it makes sense. He had a nice way of saying things, this guy did. So the _entire _museum is dedicated to just him?"

She nodded, happiness bubbling inside her. "None of his works were even based on real people—except for one, which was a commission."

"Wow." Kidd glanced around at all of the paintings and sculptures. "He must have had quite the imagination." He strode over to the wall, inspecting a rather gruesome work.

"_The Hanged Man. _Interesting."

She snorted.

"What's so funny?"

"You're weird."

He flushed red, hands flying up to cover his face. "Don't say that!"

* * *

The art gallery was short lived—Maka claimed she felt a 'creepy vibe' from one of the larger paintings. Kidd pinned her as superstitious. They stopped for a late lunch, where they split the cost (much to Maka's liking), before taking a trip to the local park.

"Even on days like this, kids still play to their hearts content," she commented wistfully; her eyes followed the children around the playground as they climbed up ladders and swung from monkey bars.

"What do you mean?" He seated himself next to her on the bench, glancing between the different mini-people.

"There's so much that's going on right now, and they're blissfully unaware. What I wouldn't give to be that innocent."

"It's a blessing and a curse."

"Everything has its ups and downs."

"You could put it that way." He winced just the slightest when one of the smaller kids—probably around four or five—tripped and faceplanted into the mulch spread around the structures.

"So what about Aun—Medusa?" she asked hesitantly, fingers curling around the edge of the bench.

"I informed the police of her involvement. She's as much a priority as Asura at the moment."

"How long are we going to have to wait until we know if they got caught?"

"I could call the station later today, or we could just keep an eye on the local news—maybe tune into Channel 5." He offered a warm smile. "Don't stress about it, okay? You don't want wrinkles before your thirties."

Sighing, she kicked her feet back and forth. "I know; it's just…there are probably a lot of things happening right now and I'm just sitting here."

"Well, for what it's worth, I'm 'just sitting here' too. If you'd like, maybe we could go 'just eat ice cream'."

Worry wiped itself from her face and she grinned. "That sounds great."


	13. First Kiss

**Chapter Thirteen: First Kiss**

* * *

Their date had gone off without a hitch. Maka had reluctantly let Kidd pay for dinner, but insisted on at least paying half next time.

'_Next time,' _Kidd thought with a smile. _'Next time.' _

He quickly redirected his attention to the girl sleeping on the couch next to him, and then to the television which stated in big yellow letters across the bottom:

_MURDERER AND ACCOMPLICE ARRESTED, HAD PLANS FOR MORE_

It urged him to wake Maka, and eventually he caved in. She'd only be pissed if he didn't, anyways.

He reached over and shook her shoulder, and she groaned in protest.

"You might want to see this."

Immediately, her eyes snapped open and she jolted upright. "What? What happened?"

"That." He pointed to the screen. "I told you it'd work out."

"Thank goodness…" Any energy she'd mustered up in that short time was released as she laid down on his lap, exhaling loudly and closing her eyes. "I'm glad no one else was hurt…But still, Chrona…"

"Hey, what matters now is that they're locked up."

"For how long, though?"

"That's going to depend on the verdict, Miss Law Student."

She whined impatiently. "How long until the trial?"

"A couple of weeks."

"They'll get convicted no doubt, right?"

"Well, considering I had the police on the phone when your au—Medusa confessed, I'd say there's an eighty-eight point eight percent chance they'll be found guilty."

"Why eighty-eight?"

"Because I like the number eight."

"What's your favorite color?"

"What's with the questioning?"

She shrugged, her shoulder bumping into his thigh. "I want to know more about you. Trivial things. Okay, give me your favorite color, your birthday, your favorite food, and how old were you when you had your first kiss?"

He sighed, though it was not one of annoyance. Smiling, he took one of her pigtails into his hand and fiddled with it. "Blue, August 8th, lasagna, yet to be determined."

"No way. You haven't kissed anyone?" She propped herself up on her elbows.

"I haven't kissed anyone, no one's kissed me." He shrugged. "I kind of stay absorbed in my work, so I never really get the chance to—"

He was interrupted as she yanked him down by his tie and smashed their lips together.

* * *

"And that's how Mommy and I fell in love," he finished, closing an imaginary scrapbook as the child pouted.

"Come on, come on, you forgot some stuff! How long were you together before you proposed?—"

"Four years."

"—How did you propose?"

"That's another story for another time, Chrona." Maka smiled from the doorway. "I'll give you a sneak peek, since you played so nice with White*Star today."

"White*Star's mean," Chrona whined, leaning back against the headboard. "He never shares any of his toys."

"That's how the Stars are, honey," Kidd sighed. "Trust me, you get used to 'em."

"No going off topic! What's the sneak peek, Mama?!"

She giggled, as if she couldn't contain herself at the memory, and her husband blushed ferociously. "We kind of fell down a flight of stairs after he proposed."

"Come on! You can't tell me _that _and expect me to wait until tomorrow!"

"Yes she can." Kidd stood, patting Chrona on the head. "'Night, squirt."

"Night, Papa."

* * *

"That was unusually cruel of you," he mused, rolling over in bed to face Maka.

"What, the cliffhanger? I couldn't help myself!" She laughed out loud.

"What a poor baby, gonna be up all night trying to figure out how we _possibly _could have fallen down stairs after such an important moment."

Snuggling into his chest, she reached up and kissed him on both cheeks. "We can remember _that _fiasco tomorrow. Go to sleep, you might be getting a case call in the morning."

"Hmm?"

"Worry about it later," she grunted, tugging at his shirt sleeve. Obediently, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer, before nuzzling the top of her head and breathing in the scent of her shampoo.

"Goodnight, Maka," Kidd murmured, eyes drooping shut. "Love you."

"Love you too." She yawned. "Night."

* * *

**Woohoo, another one done! Don't get your panties in a bunch—I'll post an epilogue in a couple days that goes into ****_full _****detail on the whole proposal scene. **

**Thank you to everyone who put up with this!**


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